Lesson Plan 2

UTL 640E
Kaitlyn Holcomb
Aaron Holman/Hendrickson High School
AP English IV/12th Grade
Date: 3/24/15
Teaches #3-4
Class Period/Time: Period 5 (9:30-11:00) and Period 7 (1:10-2:40)
Enduring Understanding & Essential Questions:
Individuals must evaluate texts from multiple perspectives since only then can they begin to
distance themselves from personal bias and identify textual interpretations that accommodate and
validate varied ways of thinking.
What are the critical approaches to literature (and their definitions) used in this class? [f]
What is the effect of viewing a story through only one critical approach? [c]
How does ones perception of a story change as one views it through multiple critical
approaches? [c]
How is the theme of a story related to the critical approach used to analyze it? [c]
Lesson Objective:
After reading and discussing Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper as a class,
students will work in groups to a) analyze the work using 2 critical approaches to literature,
chosen from biographical, historical, psychological, and cultural; b) identify at least 4 aptlychosen details from the story relating to each of the selected critical approaches, for a total of 8;
and c) generate a thematic statement for each critical approach that expresses the relationship
between the storys theme and said approach in order to evaluate the storys importance in both
historical and modern contexts and analyze how different critical perspectives influence a storys
theme.
Resources/Materials:
To do before the lesson:
o Review The Yellow Wallpaper and critical theories; assign students to read the story
before lesson (found in their AP Literature books, pp. 264-82)
o Buy sticky notes (two colors)
o Create PowerPoint presentation to supplement the lesson
o Create handout for students who choose the historical criticism approach
For the lesson itself:
o Bring AP Literature book and sticky notes
o Whiteboard and markers
o Set up and test PowerPoint before the lesson begins
o Place sticky notes by door for students to grab as they enter

TEKS/SEs Addressed in the Lesson:

(2) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make
inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and
contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Students are expected to:
(C) relate the characters, setting, and theme of a literary work to the historical, social, and
economic ideas of its time.
Steps in Lesson:
ENGAGEMENT 7 minutes

Students will use the sticky notes to indicate their understanding of The Yellow Wallpaper.
On the blue sticky note, students will write something they truly understand about the story.
On the green sticky note, students will write something that confused them about the story.
Students will turn to 2-3 neighbors and use their sticky notes to create a list of 3 lingering
questions they have about the story. These questions will help guide subsequent discussion so
the students can gain a fuller understanding of the story.
STATED OBJECTIVE

Today, were going to discuss Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper.
First, well discuss the story itself within a brief historical context in order to understand its
importance to its own time period. Then, working in groups, youll analyze it in terms of several
of the critical approaches youve been using throughout the year, and youll create thematic
statements that express the relationship between the critical approaches and how we interpret the
theme of the story. Finally, youll write individual reflections that will hopefully help you
evaluate and understand the effect of the critical lenses on this story even better.
ACTIVE LEARNING

Introduce: 20 minutes
Ask student groups to share some of their questions. Write topics for discussion on board. (2
minutes)
Provide a brief outline of the storys historical/social context (projected on screen). (5
minutes)
o Gilman biography (adapted from the AP Literature book and from the Charlotte Perkins
Gilman Society):
Life: 1860-1935
Born in New England to Frederick Beecher Perkins and Mary Fitch Westcott
Father was a writer; abandoned the family soon after Gilmans birth
Mother withheld physical/emotional affection during the day to toughen up her
daughter and only showed this affection at night, when Gilman was supposedly
sleeping (Ammons)

Married twice
Walter Stetson (1884) after the birth of their daughter, Katharine, she was
prescribed the rest cure that led to the writing of The Yellow Wallpaper; they
separated in 1888 and divorced in 1894
Houghton Gilman (1900) Gilmans cousin; a much happier marriage than
before
Death: committed suicide after her second husband died and after being diagnosed
with inoperable breast cancer
In 1994, Gilman was inducted into the National Womens Hall of Fame in Seneca
Falls, New York (CPGS)
th
o 19 -Century Womens Rights Movement/feminism (adapted from the U.S. House of
Representatives: History, Art & Archives)
Began in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York; led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and
Lucretia Mott)
1850s: women protested against the denial of basic economic freedoms to women
Civil War: focused primarily on the right to vote
1869: formation of the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and the
American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA)
1880s: the momentum of these associations stalled as they made little headway with
either gender
Late 1880s-early 1890s: the turning point
Females began volunteering in larger numbers (progressive causes, womens
clubs and professional societies, temperance advocates, etc.)
Extended the scope of female influence beyond the home
The time during which this story was written
Use the student-generated topics to discuss the basics of the story. Have student volunteers
explain and discuss as possible, guiding them toward understanding as needed. Discussion
points may include: (13 minutes)
o The narrator and the storys point of view
The narrator is an unnamed woman, modeled after Gilmans own experiences. She
narrates from a first-person point of view, which makes her descriptions more vivid
and personal for the reader.
o Setting
A colonial mansion (par. 2), probably in New England, that the couple is renting
for the summer
Has not been lived in in a long time
Very isolated (par. 18)
o The characters
Narrator (mentioned before)
John the narrators husband; a doctor; initially seems sincere in his efforts to help
his wife improve, but were invited to question his motives as the story progresses
Jennie Johns sister; takes on the role of housekeeper so the narrator can focus on
getting better

Mary stays with the baby (the character whom, though important, we never see)
o The wallpaper
The wallpaper (and paper in general) becomes symbolic: it start out lifeless (of paper,
the narrator says, I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper
and a great relief to my mind (par. 7)) but comes alive under the narrators
imaginative creativity
Works as a foil for John (according to Shmoop.com) in that it imprisons the narrator
mentally just as John imprisons her physically; however, it also serves to give her
creative freedom even as she is physically imprisoned.
o The storys ending
The woman in the wallpaper serves as the narrators doublethe narrator identifies
with the imprisoned woman since they are both searching for freedom. The ending
also demonstrates the narrators madness as she begins to give in to her
surroundings and isolation.
As a class, students will generate a theme/meaning for the story based only on the discussion
points (since it will only be focused on topic details, it will read more like a plot summary,
but it will be important for subsequent discussion). The statement should be similar to the
following (write on the board if space permits): This story depicts the unnamed female
narrators fall into madnessshe becomes mentally and even physically consumed with the
wallpaper hanging in her roomwhile she rests so as to recover from a severe case of the
nerves.

Explain: 15 minutes
Briefly review the critical approaches students have used in analysis throughout the school
year by projecting a list of the approaches and asking student volunteers to provide
definitions. (Although the students have learned nine critical approaches, this lesson will
focus on the following five. Definitions adapted from Holman and the AP Literature book.)
Guide students toward these definitions as needed (5 minutes):
o Biographical criticism
Uses the authors biographical information to interpret a text because authors often
incorporate aspects of their personal experiences; usually supplements actual textual
analysis rather than functioning on its own
o Historical criticism
Explores how a texts historical context (i.e., the social, political, economic, cultural,
and intellectual climate of the time (Holman)) affects it and its meaning
o Psychological criticism:
Emphasizes the unconscious aspects of the human psyche (Holman); seeks to
understand the author and the authors influence on aspects of the text, how the text
affects the reader, and how characters reflect the human experience; often focuses on
the sexual
o Gender criticism:
Argues that most literature has been oriented toward males; it thus seeks to correc[t]
this imbalance by analyzing and combatting patriarchal attitudes (1394); examines

the experiences of women and how they have been constrained in culture/society;
focuses on how sexual identity affects writers and readers of texts; contains new
emphases on sexual orientation and masculinity
o Cultural criticism/cultural studies:
Examines social power (i.e., the moral, psychological, and political assumptions
(1403) in a text); tries tounderstand the structures of meaning that hold those
assumptions in place and give them the appearance of objective reality (Holman);
advocates for social justice; is interdisciplinary in nature, though it draws largely on
gender criticism and sociological (esp. Marxist) criticism
Guide students through analyzing aspects of The Yellow Wallpaper using the gender
criticism approach. (10 minutes)
o Ask students to provide points of analysis from the story that are made particularly
meaningful in light of the gender criticism approachthat is, we understand them as
important/meaningful because the critical approach helps emphasize those aspects of the
story. Write responses on board under Gender/Feminist heading. Discussion points
may include (adapted from my own interpretation and from other sources as noted; page
numbers refer to critical essays included in the AP Literature book which the students
will read prior to the lesson):
Stereotypes/gender roles:
Women are silly, fanciful creatures while husbands are logical/reasonable (par. 56) and know more than their wives. However, the narrator eventually begins to
question these roles as the wife begins to use the wallpaper to push against her
imprisonment.
The husband knows that the narrator will probably become wearied by trying to
tame her thoughts (he wants her to do so because he is trying to get her to
conform with the socially masculine norm of reason over fancy); he thus tells
her it is her responsibility to tame her thoughts so that, when she never improves,
he can truthfully tell her that it is her fault she is not improving.
At the end of the story, the narrator gains some sense of autonomy (believing she
is finally free), while the husband swoonsa distinctly female behavior. (281)
Symbolism
The wallpaper
o Symbolic of afterbirth, which leads to fear and wonder regarding female
bodily processes (278)
o Symbolic of a patriarchal text that the narrator tries to escape from (280)
The creeping women: represent and foreshadow the real-life women who will
creep out of the patriarchal system and make names for themselves (281)
Society vs. self/self-sufficiency: the narrators mental madness shows that disease
is within oneself (or within a set of social norms), but the power to
improve/recover is also within oneself

Theme
Creation: Maternitythe creation of a childis combined with writingthe
creation of writingin a way that suggests they are interrelated and perhaps
symbolic (279)
Perhaps symbolic of female autonomy, both creatively (the ability to write and
think creatively) and physically (the right to ones own body and the act of
biological creation)

Apply: 25 minutes
Students will create groups of four. These groups will then choose two of the remaining four
critical approaches (psychological, cultural, biographical, historical) on which to focus their
efforts. (10 minutes)
o Students will evaluate The Yellow Wallpaper using the chosen critical approaches. The
following directions will be projected on the screen.
Choose two of the following critical approaches (psychological, cultural,
biographical, historical).
For each critical approach, provide four details from the story that are made
meaningful through the chosen critical approach. Explicitly explain why these details
are significant in light of the critical approach. (For example: Gilman ultimately
challenges traditional gender roles by reversing masculine and feminine tendencies
the female narrator is given a degree of autonomy while her husband swoons.)
You will turn these notes in. Only one copy is needed per group.
o Students who choose the historical criticism approach can build on the biographical
information discussed previously. They will also be given a copy of a handout outlining a
few of the important movements/events occurring near the time The Yellow Wallpaper
was published so they can properly analyze the story.
o Observe the groups as they work, and confer with them as needed.
Student groups will share their analytical points with the class to allow for a fuller
understanding of the text in light of multiple critical approaches (answers will be written on
the board). (10 minutes)
o Each group will begin by sharing one piece of analysis for one of their chosen critical
approaches. (Since there will be more groups than critical approaches, multiple pieces of
analysis will be present per critical approach.)
o Student volunteers can then contribute new pieces of analysis.
Students will return to their groups and write thematic statements that connect The Yellow
Wallpaper to the critical approaches they chose previously according to the following
directions (projected on screen) (5 minutes):
o In your groups, write one thematic statement for each of the two critical approaches you
discussed previously. These can be written on the same piece of paper used before.
o Thematic statements should directly relate to the analytical points discussed in class.
(You may draw on those points raised by your classmates in addition to those identified
in your group.)

o Each thematic statement should include three parts: 1) tone, 2) author/title, and 3)
theme/meaning of the story as derived from the appropriate critical approach. (For
example, In her [tone] short story The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman
discusses/analyzes/questions [the theme/meaning of the story in light of the respective
critical approach].)
CLOSURE 8 minutes

Check for understanding, asking students if there are still parts of the story or critical
approaches they do not understand and clarifying as needed.
Students will write individual reflections that will allow them to reflect on the material
presented in the lesson and to consider the effect of multiple perspectives/approaches on the
theme of a literary piece. The following directions will be projected:
o On a clean piece of paper, reflect on todays lesson. Responses should be at least a page in length and consider the following questions:
Which of your groups chosen critical approaches most challenged your perception of
the story? Why?
What is the effect of viewing the story through only one critical approach? Through
multiple approaches?
What is the theme/meaning of the story if you consider the information from all of the
critical approaches discussed?
How is this meaning similar to or different from the original theme/meaning we
developed as a class?
o Please place your reflections in the box as you leave.

Modifications/Differentiation Strategies:
One student in my 5th period class will need a printed copy of the PowerPoint presentation.
Students will participate in both group and whole-class discussions.
Students will complete activities in whole-class, group, and individual settings, allowing
them to practice and evaluate their learning in multiple ways.
Providing instructions visually and aurally will benefit students of multiple learning styles.
Evaluation Strategies:
I will moderate whole-class discussion, checking to ensure that students understand the
material (i.e., the story, critical approaches, etc.).
I will observe/confer with student groups as they work.
I will collect the groups brainstorming activity (complete with thesis statements). They will
be graded partially on completion (a minimum of four analysis points per critical approach;
thesis statements must contain all three parts) and partially on quality (each analysis point
should explicitly link the critical approach to the story; thesis statements must directly relate
to the analysis points).
I will also collect the individual reflections and read them to evaluate the students overall
learning (i.e., an understanding of the critical approaches, how the critical approaches affect
the storys theme).

Notes/Recommendations for next time:

As it currently stands, this lesson requires more time (probably a full block period).
Make sure to incorporate the formalist approachbring it back to the text itselfin addition
to the other critical approaches since students are required to do so for AP exams and critical
essays.
Bringing in the other critical approaches worked well. I think it really helped the students
think about the story from multiple angles as well as consider aspects of the story they may
not have otherwise regarded as important.
More explicitly explain the importance of the wallpaper as a major symbol.
Assign each group a set of critical approaches to ensure that all approaches are divided
equally.